Katims has now revealed that the idea has been in the works for some time.

"It is something that we had talked about for a couple of years, almost in a half-kidding way," he told Entertainment Weekly. "And then a few months ago [executive producer] Brian Grazer and Pete called me saying they really wanted to do this.

"We had some meetings and we came up with a direction that we really loved. The trick was to figure out a way to both honor the series and not move away from that, but still find something that would be a satisfying movie in and of itself."

Katims explained that the project is still in the very early stages as he is just beginning to plot the screenplay, but added that everyone involved is "excited".

He also revealed that the film could include "quite possibly a considerable time jump" from the television show and admitted that he is hoping that Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton will reprise their roles.

"I haven't talked to them about it that much because I feel like the first thing they're going to want to know is, 'What's the story?' and that's understandable," Katims said. "So the best chance we have of bringing back not only Kyle and Connie but at least several other cast members is by moving forward with the script."